Blog Post #6: Reframing Inquiry

I have always taught in an Engineering & Technology classroom mostly at the high school level. I think Engineering classrooms are excellent examples of Inquiry Learning in practice. To me, Inquiry Learning is teachers and students engaged in project-based learning, utilizing problem-solving strategies and real-world questioning to synthesize and communicate information. It allows students to test hypotheses in a challenging environment without the risk of failure.

The first thing that really hits home with me about Inquiry Learning is that it should be engaging for both students and teachers. In older models of teaching the emphasis on engagement is a student focus. But in our Implementing Inquiry reading it is discussed that "teacher interest and curiosity about a topic will increase the teacher's investment and provide a model of engagement for students." How can we expect our students to get interested in a topic when we are providing all sorts of clues to them that we are not interested in it ourselves? By doing this, we have possibly lost their interest in a subject before we have even begun our lesson. It reminds me of coming through my undergraduate work and always being reminded by my professors that, "your students are always watching you." In most cases, this was in reference to how you handled yourself in a situation or how you treated other people. We were reminded to always be a good example of those things because our students would be watching and possibly taking their queue's from us. I think it's time we add "interest in subject matter" to this conversation as well.

In the article "What the Heck is Inquiry-Based Learning?" author Heather Wolpert-Gawron says, "Inquiry-based learning is more than asking a student what he or she wants to know. It’s about triggering curiosity. And activating a student’s curiosity is, I would argue, a far more important and complex goal than the objective of mere information delivery." To me, this perfectly sums up what we are trying to accomplish through Inquiry Learning. The focus should no longer be on how we disseminate information. The focus should be on how we use our resources to trigger to curiosity and interest. By generating genuine curiosity and interest in the subject matter, genuine learning can occur.

Thinking of an Engineering classroom, I also really appreciate Tina Barseghian's article "Creating Classrooms We Need: 8 Ways Into Inquiry Learning". In her article she discusses "Embracing Failure" and the difference between "blameworthy" and "praiseworthy" failure. If we are encouraging our students to step out on the ledge of these new learning practices with us, we need to make sure they understand that they won't always be successful on their first attempt. And if that happens, that isn't a failure, that's an opportunity to gain knowledge and experience at a deeper level. This point related to Inquiry Learning I think is vital to the whole process.


Mini Lessons

Certification Area: Technology Education
Standards: Georgia Department of Education: STEM Cluster
Focus Standard: STEM-FET-1

Lesson 1: Ethical Use of Information
Students will research a given Engineering problem. Once students have time to formulate their answers they will be asked to look through a curated list of resources regarding the ethical use of information. Students will be asked to review their answers to see if they have been done correctly. Students will be asked to rewrite answers to credit all information and ideas to their respective owners. Students will learn about researching real-world examples and giving credit to owners of the original work. Students will use technology to research answers to real-world Engineering design scenarios. Students will share their experience with a partner and discuss with each other their findings both on their research answers but also how to cite information. 

Lesson 2: Resume Writing
Students will study the importance of resume writing and understand its importance in job search process. Students will use a variety of technology resources to learn about how to write a well-formatted resume. Students will have the ability to research an actual job opening posting in an area of interest to them to focus their assignment work on. Students will produce a finished resume for their job posting, one that they could follow for future use. Students will be assessed on their final resume.

Lesson 3: Interviewing
Students will study the importance of Interviewing and understand its importance in the job search process. Students will use a variety of technology resources to learn about how to properly prepare for an interview, what to expect in an interview, and how to conduct themselves in an interview. Students will be paired with partners and will take turns participating in mock-interviews. Students will be assessed on a final mock interview with the teacher. 

My technology resources for these lessons will allow for extension because they will be resources that are real-world tools used for career planning and job searching. It will expose students to resources they can use outside the classroom and in future use as they prepare to write resumes and go on job interviews in real life. Career planning is a field that also requires keeping up with current trends and understanding what is being looked for. There are a lot of misunderstood pieces about the job searching process. These lessons and my use of technology will be something that students can use regardless of career field and can be a skill they use in life many, many years down the road. 




Barseghian, T. (2013, March 11). Creating Classrooms We Need: 8 Ways Into Inquiry Learning. Retrieved June 7, 2017, from https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/03/11/creating-classrooms-we-need-8-ways-into-inquiry-learning/

Implementing Inquiry M5 Resource

Wolpert-Gawron, H. (2016, August 11). What the Heck Is Inquiry-Based Learning? Retrieved June 7, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/what-heck-inquiry-based-learning-heather-wolpert-gawron 

  

Blog Post #5

I am very happy with my progress towards the learning goals I identified for this course. We have already covered topics related to 3 of my 4 goals (developing a personal definition of information fluency and inquiry learning, growing my skills in information searching, evaluation, and ethical use of information, and expanding my competency in the use of blogs and Twitter). I know we will cover my last goal (devising a plan for incorporating inquiry learning in my classroom) before the end of this semester. To this point, I feel like the material we have covered in this course has been extremely helpful and beneficial to attaining my goals. Not only are we provided with strong and relevant resources pertaining to these topics, but we are also given a chance to practice some of these elements as well. Being able to actually practice what we are reading about is a huge bonus to me! At this point, I do not see any reason to modify my goals. I have been very happy with them and happy that this class has provided so many resources related to them.

Carol Dweck defines two types of mindsets: the fixed mindset and the growth mindset. The characteristics of these two types of mindsets makes it very clear to me that in order to achieve my learning goals for this course, and towards information fluency skills in general, I must have a growth mindset. A lot of things in this course are new to me, such as blogging, the use of Twitter, and the overall concepts of information fluency and inquiry learning. Dweck says, "Students with a growth mindset, on the other hand, view challenging work as an opportunity to learn and grow." This course is providing me an opportunity to learn and grow in areas that are new and a little uncomfortable to me. I have to be able to say, "I love a challenge". I think this thought process can also be used towards having a growth mindset towards information fluency skills. You must be positive and not afraid to tackle new ideas and concepts. Dweck also states to "emphasize the challenge". "Meaningful learning tasks need to challenge every student in some way. It is crucial that no student be able to coast to success time after time; this experience can create the fixed-mindset belief that you are smart only if you can succeed without effort." While this quote is about students, I think the same can be said for learners of any age and ability level. We must be okay with the challenge of information fluency. It's okay if it pushes us to be better, because that is they only way we will actually grow.

Our attitudes towards information fluency must be like race car driver example Dweck gives in her mindset interview... "races last a long time and throughout the course of the event mistakes are inevitable. The difference between a winning driver and a losing driver is what you do with those mistakes." We must have a growth mindset towards information fluency. We must be ready for the challenge and understand we probably will make mistakes along the way, however, those mistakes will not hinder or stop us from working hard and completing our goals and intentions!

Dweck, C. (2010, September). Even Geniuses Work Hard. Retrieved June 2, 2017, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept10/vol68/num01/Even-Geniuses-Work-Hard.aspx

Bell, M. (Director). (2010, December 11). Carol Dweck: Mindset interview [Video file]. Retrieved June 2, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICILzbB1Obg 

Dweck, C. (2010, September). Even Geniuses Work Hard. Retrieved June 2, 2017, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept10/vol68/num01/Even-Geniuses-Work-Hard.aspx

Dweck, C. (2010, September). Even Geniuses Work Hard. Retrieved June 2, 2017, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept10/vol68/num01/Even-Geniuses-Work-Hard.aspx

Letting Go

I have to admit, this blogging thing has been a bit of a challenge for me so far this semester, but in a good way. I believe the resources we have worked through are very challenging to the "traditional" model of teaching. While this doesn't come as a surprise to me (anyone that teaches almost 10 years sees plenty of educational practices and theories come-and-go along the way) I do find it interesting to read about how the new philosophies use the student, teacher, and information pieces around each other. The Chris Lehmann resource tackles a lot of things that I feel like I do still hear in the classroom today. "The purpose of school is this idea of a 21st Century workforce." He states that we need to be focusing on making the citizens we need in society. I know I discuss with my students the importance of learning and knowing a "skill". Something that they can do that few others can do in the workforce. I was also interested in his comments about formative and summative assessments. He states, " I think we overemphasize assessment, certainly summative assessment…I don’t think it’s possible to overemphasize formative assessment." This year I participated in a grading seminar for my county. Many teachers representing all different grade levels were there. A majority of our discussion revolved around this very topic, the balance between formative and summative assessments and what ratio is an accurate representation of what a student knows. I honestly was surprised to hear his comment on this. A lot of teachers I was around at this grading seminar were okay with summative assessments being the main factor in a student's grade. They felt these "culminating activities" should be the things to show just how much the student has learned. They felt the "formative assessments" should not carry as much weight because that is the student's time to learn and practice the new skill or knowledge being presented to them. They should not be penalized for being in the "learning" phase of the lesson. Maybe I'm not totally understanding the context within this comment? Maybe the conversations about engagement in classrooms and how to actually assign grades are still separate things at this point? I'm not sure. I just thought this was particularly interesting. 
I think there is a very clear connection between inquiry learning, instructional technology, and great teaching. As "Great Teaching Means Letting Go" discusses, inquiry learning is about a teacher being comfortable with a teaching strategy that is radically different than what most of us have been taught and is different than the model most of us have seen throughout the entirety of our educational experiences. "It’s counter-intuitive to say: please teach less and help less, in order that performance might become more successful over time. Our instincts as teachers cause us to over-help rather than under-help." Instructional technology is the means by which a teacher can accomplish inquiry learning strategies through high-quality experiences for students. Through the use of the latest technology trends, a teacher can build engaging lessons for students that incorporate scaffolding, differentiation, and inquiry learning. These lessons then have much greater meaning and impact on students making the learning experience much more likely to stay with them. They are more likely to be able to process the information from just "recalling facts" to actually being able to synthesize and apply this knowledge. Suddenly, you have exactly the experience being described in this article, student transfer of knowledge.
I'll close with something I always try to share with my students. When working on a difficult problem or process, I always encourage them to look at each other for help and guidance first. Sometimes, this makes them very annoyed with me! But I tell them this, "One way you know you understand a concept is if you can teach it to someone else. You don't really need me." The greatest days in my classroom are when I see my students engaged with each other and almost forget that I am even in the room!

Reflective Searching

Before I tackle the basic components of this module's blog post, I feel like I want to say something more on a over-arching reach of this subject matter. It's something I've been thinking about all week since I started reading the material for this module and I'm not sure I can even state it in a well-defined point. I hope I can make some sense of what I have been thinking about this week and it doesn't come across as the random musings of someone way off base!

This is my 3rd semester in this program and in most every class we have tackled issues related to students and their use of technology. We have discussed if we, as teachers, are doing an adequate job in meeting the needs of 21st-Century students. We have more information on students and their learning abilities, styles, and forms than we ever have before. And so many times it seems like we work back to a basic question of ... Are we still trying to teach students in the manner that we feel like it's "always been done" so students of this generation must learn that way too? Or, are we being reflective and accepting of this wealth of information about how this generation of students learn and are we as teachers willing to make changes in our practices to at least meet students "half-way" in their learning experiences? As I read the information this week, something about it all kept leading me back to this thought process. An over-arching idea I had for this week was that if our ultimate job as teachers is to prepare students for the next steps in their educational journeys  (middle school ready for high school, high school ready for college, etc.) and we are presented now with information about how students research, what they consider research, and what tools they go to first to try and accomplish research, how does this impact us as teachers? Do we dig our heels in and resist this change? Or do we do our best to synthesize it and come up with a plan of action for our teaching and how we can better teach and lead our students? The information given to us this week clearly says, "This is what students are doing". Now, as a teacher leading these students, how am I going to adapt? In one sense, maybe I'm putting too much thought into a simple question (I have been sick this week, so I've had a little more time than usual to sit and think about things!) but in another sense, how we respond to this situation could have a drastic impact on our students and their futures! Anyway, not sure if all this makes sense or if it's even applicable to this week, but after going through all of our information this week, I just felt like these were some of the thought processes I kept coming back to.

By definition, since most definitions use 1993 and after as the focal point, I am not a member of the "Google Generation". However, I don't feel like I am that far away from being an official member. The use of the internet and Google has been around for a high majority of my educational experience in life. Because of this, I consider myself to be a fairly experienced searcher. However, I also know that there are a lot of new and evolving techniques out there that I haven't learned about or utilized. For example, I didn't know you could use an image as your search parameter on Google. How cool! I also enjoyed "How to Use Google Search More Effectively. I think this would be a great resource to use with students. How to use some of those tricks to help narrow down your search query would be a tremendous skill for a lot of students today. At this point, with the movement in education towards hands-on tools and experiences for students, and the resulting change teachers must make to accommodate this, you could make a strong argument that we all have become members of the "Google Generation". If we weren't already "official" members, so many of us as teachers must be prepared to meet the needs of the members, and the resulting knowledge shared makes us all better prepared for the information searching of the future. As "The Information Behavior of the Researcher of the Future" states, "the information literacy of young people has not improved with the widening access to technology." As I tried to address in my thoughts above, resisting change in education usually ends up hurting more than it helps. And can we do our jobs as teachers if we are resisting change? "The Information Behavior of the Researcher of the Future" states, "The most significant finding [of our study] was that, although the teachers interviewed were information literate, their skills with and attitudes towards information literacy were not being transferred to their pupils." I think the "Google Generation" also addresses a current trend in education of the ability to access information in all capacities, such as online learning experiences and programs.

Finally, I am not sure if I have a typical search pattern. I think my searching pattern is very dependent on what type of information I am trying to seek. If I am searching for some information about Georgia Southern football, I might start out with a particular search query, and then click through results and pages as I see related to my general topic or ones that I find interesting. I guess this would be similar to the "Horizontal Information Seeking" in the sense that I would just bounce from resource to resource. If I am searching for information for work or school, I would be more specific with my search query and wouldn't be near as likely to just go bouncing through search results. My searching would be more efficient and structured. I think for teens with more experience with Google searching, they might follow a similar process. Teens that haven't had a lot of experience with researching information might not know how to set search parameters and narrow down results. To avoid creating a filter bubble, be mindful of the search query you are entering. I thought the video made an interesting point about searching for information as someone else would write it, not necessarily as you would write it. Also, use the tricks and tools for helping your search query as mentioned in our module!


CIBER. (2008). Information behaviour of the researcher of the future. Retrieved from https://go.view.usg.edu/d2l/le/content/1395714/viewContent/22068343/View

Heick, T. (2014). How Google impacts the way students think. Retrieved from http://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/how-google-impacts-the-way-students-think

Videos, G. (Director). (2012, May 2). Even better search results: Getting to know Google search for education [Video file]. Retrieved May 18, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=f2jqwNxq1cM#!

Videos, G. (Director). (2012, May 2). Even better search results: Getting to know Google search for education [Video file]. Retrieved May 18, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=f2jqwNxq1cM#!

Videos, G. (Director). (2012, May 2). Even better search results: Getting to know Google search for education [Video file]. Retrieved May 18, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=f2jqwNxq1cM#!

Videos, G. (Director). (2012, May 2). Even better search results: Getting to know Google search for education [Video file]. Retrieved May 18, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=f2jqwNxq1cM#!

Videos, G. (Director). (2012, May 2). Even better search results: Getting to know Google search for education [Video file]. Retrieved May 18, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=f2jqwNxq1cM#!

Blog Post #2: Video/Article Review

The overall theme to these resources was information. How do we get information? How do we use it? How do we process it? And what do we do with? The days of having few and simple resources for information are long gone. Today we are bombarded with information and many much of it comes from resources that many people aren't familiar with. Social media plays a huge part in the sharing of information today. Online resources are everywhere.

There were several commonalities between our resources.

1. Information can come in all forms. Text, Audio (from Podcasts), Visuals 
2. Information can come from various resources. Social Media sites, blogs, Podcasts, emails
3. There is a process we all go through to find, decipher, and use information. Depending on what information we are looking for, we may chose to find information in various ways (already mentioned above). We must then decide what information is useful to use. Finally, we take the information we have processed and use it in ways that we need. 
4. It helps if we organize information. Given the vast amount of information to be found, having a way to categorize the information will help our research and processing steps. 

These resources are a good start on how to begin the process of studying information fluency and inquiry learning. They do help my learning goal of developing a simple and easy-to-use definition of these topics. I did not find them to be disconnected as I thought they were all introductory in their information and presentations.

Blog Post #1: Learning Goals for FRIT 7234

As a result of taking FRIT 7234, I would like to....

1. Develop a personal, concise definition of information fluency and inquiry learning.
2. Devise a plan for incorporating inquiry learning in my classroom. 
3. Grow my skills in information searching, information evaluation, and ethical use of information. 
4. Expand my competency in the use blogs and Twitter.